The Empty Egg – 2 Corinthians 5:17
The Empty Egg – 2 Corinthians 5:17
Growing up in a Baptist family, they celebrated Easter with all that goes with it. Now that I am a man, I’ve learned many things about “Easter” and its origins. I believe in the Christ resurrected, but Easter, that’s another subject altogether.
This however is a story that must be told. It’s about a boy named Sammy Sinise. Sammy was born with a slow mind, a twisted body and a terminal illness. At age 12, he was in the second grade, seemingly unable to learn.
His teacher, Estella Maula, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated into his mind. Most of the time, he was just irritating to the whole class.
One day Miss Maula called his parents and asked to meet with them for a consultation. As the Sinises entered the empty classroom, Estella confronted them with an unhappy alternative: “Sammy belongs in a special school. It isn’t fair to him to be with younger children who don’t have learning problems. There’s a five-year gap between his age and the other children.”
Mrs. Sinise wept softly, while her husband spoke. “Miss Maula, there’s no school of that kind nearby. It would devastate Sammy if we removed him from this school. We know he really enjoys it here.” Estella sat for a long while after they had gone, staring at the wind blowing up dust outside the window. Its winter chill seemed to penetrate her bones. She wanted to empathize with the Sinises, but it wasn’t fair to keep him in her class. There were 18 other students to teach, and Sammy was a distraction. He could never learn to read or write. It was time better spent with the others.
As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Her problem was nothing to complain about compared to that poor family. She prayed, “Lord, please help me to be more patient with Sammy.” From that day forward, she made an effort to overlook Sammy’s noises and blank stares. Until one day he limped to her desk.
“I love you Miss Maula,” he exclaimed, loud enough, for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Estella’s face turned red. “That’s very nice, Sammy. Now please take your seat.”
Spring came, and the children spoke excitedly about the approach of Easter. Estella told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. As she said to them, “Now, I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Miss Maula,” the children answered enthusiastically, all except for Sammy. He listened intently; his eyes never leaving her face. He didn’t make his usual noises. Had he understood what she said about Jesus’ death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents, explaining the project to them.
That evening, Estella’s kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come and unclog it. And she still had to shop for groceries, prepare a vocabulary quiz for the next day and wash her hair. She completely forgot about phoning Sammy’s parents.
The next morning, all of her students came to class and placed their egg in a large wicker basket on Miss Maula’s desk. After their math lesson was completed, it was time to open the eggs.
In the first egg, Estella found several tiny flowers. “Oh, yes, flowers are certainly a sign of new life”, she said. “When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here.” Amy in the front row claimed that to be her egg. The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked real. Estella held it up. “We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that’s new life too.” Little Judy smiled proudly saying, “That’s mine.” Next Estella opened an egg and found a rock with moss it. She explained that the moss also showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, “My daddy helped me.”
When Estella opened the fourth egg, she gasped. It was empty. Surely it must be Sammy’s, she thought, and he didn’t understand the assignment. If only she hadn’t forgotten to phone his parents. She didn’t want to embarrass him, and quietly set the egg aside and reached for another. That’s when Sammy spoke up, “Miss Maula, aren’t you going to talk about my egg?” Flustered, Estella said, “But Sammy, your egg is empty.” That’s when he looked into her eyes and softly said, “Yes, as was Jesus’ tomb empty also.”
It seemed for the whole class as though time had paused. When Estella could once again speak, she asked, “Do you know why the tomb was empty?”
“Oh yes,” Sammy replied smiling, “Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up, giving Him new life.” Just then, the recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to play, Estella cried. All the cold inside her melted at the precious love of a child.
During the summer break Sammy passed away. All his classmates and his teacher were there. One by one, each of them placed next to his casket their empty eggs. New life will come to Sammy. All the hurt and pain has passed away. As Jesus’ tomb was empty, that morning nearly 2000 years ago, so will those of all who trust in Him and believe in Him with the love of a child; just as Sammy loved. See you in heaven, Sammy…. Hope you can say the same.